It was October now, and the sphinx that had been introduced to them all last term had yet to be seen. The thought of the sphinx occurred to him over lunch, which then prompted a conversation with Vera. They were supposed to have gone looking for the creature at the end of the last term, but, as to be expected, a food coma got the better of him. So it was only fitting that they go looking for it now.

Determined to see the sphinx and thrilled by the concept of putting off homework, Logan had dug up the very unfinished drawing of the Forbidden Forest he had buried in his trunk and then made a quick stop at the kitchens. The visit, however, hadn't been brief at all as the second year felt the need to help himself to a little snack before filling up his satchel with various foods intended for the sphinx.

"Any thoughts on how to get her to come out?" he asked Vera as they made their way across the grounds. Sure, they had food with them, but they didn't even know how deep into the forest the sphinx was. "Or do you think we're gonna have to go in?"

While normally Vera wouldn't have even considered colluding with Logan without her brother's involving him, their new house camaraderie had made her start viewing him more as a potential ally than just a target. She often missed having Vasco to be able to plot with in the evenings, but... at least her twin's best friend was probably also experiencing that issue which gave them some common ground.

Plus. He was also interested in the Sphinx. AND the Forest it seemed, which was two additional points she could very much share enthusiasm on. Getting to explore the Forest was like... her life long GOAL. So when he'd suggested they carry on their plans from the previous end of term feast, she hadn't even considered saying no.

Even if it was probably far too bright in the day and out in the open to do this. C'est la vie.

Following along after him to the kitchens and then out towards the ground, Ve jogged to keep up, the occasional hop!skip thrown in JUST because of how excited she was. The question on if she had any type of a PLAN had Vera giving him a skeptical look before shaking her head. She was not the planner of the party - that was their token Ravenclaw's job. AND to generally keep her out of trouble. Did he do that for Logan too? A large portion of her wanted to just appeal to going straight in and to look around. But they also didn't really know the size of the Forest, basic map as handy as it was, and they didn't know where she'd made her house. As much as Ve wanted to go rushing in... the idea of meeting an acromantula leaden her feet just the wee bit.

"She seemed super playful! Maybe if we play a game or.... call out riddles or something she'll come? Do you know any good riddles?"

Once at the edge of the Forest, Kamran paused just outside the boundary and turned again to the group who had come straight from the courtyard, or else joined the group as they made their way here.

"I'm sure I don't need to say this again, but - just to reiterate - best behaviour in here, or I will be ever-so-slightly upset." This, of course, was for the benefit of the students. His colleagues were very well behaved, as far as he was aware. Sort of part of the job description, see. Kamran nodded once to himself (*jingle*) and made to head into the trees, but paused, and added after some consideration, "And, if anyone feels a particularly concerning... ah... gift about to emerge... let us know quickly, if you can. If you can't, we'll still have you covered." Just helped to have the heads up, that was all. "All set? We've a slight trek ahead of us."

And Kamran was... just going to keep his own wand drawn too. Just in case.

Jude was rather relieved that Keigh hadn’t put up much of a resistance when he suggested she hang back at the Castle. He figured that mentioning Olivia had done the trick but please, nobody mention that he had shrewdly suggested Keigh help with the Potion in this manner. The guy had given his sister's hand a little squish before setting off with the professors and other students to the Forest. Was he nervous? Not really but the group would surely attract a lot of attention given Kazmi’s… little situation.

The Dragon Heartstring wand of his had been drawn even before they departed from the Courtyard and Merlin - and every other professor heading to the Forest - knew that Jude was not going to cause any trouble. Him, misbehave? Pfffft. As if! With regard to his gift, well… he made butterflies flutter by. Surely that wasn’t concerning.

Right! Let the trek begin! Jude just wanted to see the sphinx again! Plus to help retrieve that book.

He'd been heading back towards the castle after another undesired romp in the pastures, when Evan had been distracted by the obnoxious sound of jingling that he'd come to associate with their Headmaster since the beginning of all this nonsense. Not being able to go anywhere stealthily really did seem like a major con given Headmaster Kazmi's position. But in this moment, he supposed it was a pro, as Evan turned his head and noticed Headmaster and a small gathering of Professor's and students headed towards the Forbidden Forest.

Curiosity piqued, the Ravenclaw seventh year jogged along to catch up with them all, falling into step beside Jude and noticing the pulled wand, moved to do the same. It appeared that they were headed straight into the forest and while Evan normally would have questioned why, he trusted the grouping and figured it didn't much matter. Glancing around to see if his sisters were present - just needing to keep an eye on them if so - he continued on with them.

The good news was he just finished being an alpaca and if his timetable was to be trusted... he had a good amount of time before he'd need to be at all concerned about being one again.

Into the Forbidden Forest they went. Kennedy felt uncomfortable to say the least. He understood there were lessons held here on occasion, but it didn’t mean he agreed with them. In his opinion it was playing with danger a little too close. Which is the reason he forbade his daughter and Serena from following this group. One; his wife would have his head if something happened to their precious gem. Two; Peyton and Seth had a wrath like no other.

Following behind the group of students following the headmaster, Kennedy kept an eye out for abnormalities or anything that could pose a danger to the children. It was a good thing the Headmaster jingled. It made it easy for the students to follow.

As for other gifts, he kept waving off butterflies. He rather liked his hair without fluttering wings in it, thank you very much.

Tapio had caught up with the group with ease, taking advantage of the opportunity to really stretch his legs and get some real exercise. Coming up behind Kennedy at the back of the group, he saw the headmaster up ahead, leading the way. Tapio already had his wand drawn, and from the vantage point of his great height, he could easily scout the area for danger both before and to the sides. He just hoped that so many people wandering around wouldn't wind up trampling on some of the rare and hidden plants deeper within these woods. Oh well--onward and yonward!

That's right, students - and staff - follow the bells to your beloved (citation needed) headmaster. It was true, the jingling was beneficial for making sure the students knew which way to go, if for some reason that became a little difficult. Naturally, he'd be heading up the pack.

Kamran nodded, once, with a jingle for good measure. "Keep to the path then, and we should have no issues." And no detentions. That came under the good behaviour subheading, in case anyone was wondering. Lucky Kennedy and Tapio were there to be the eyes in the back of Kamran's head, for safety reasons first and foremost. While he was confident this venture would be perfectly safe, nothing was completely without risk or unpredictability, especially in the wizarding world.

With that, Kamran turned and began striding through the trees, lighting his wand and holding it out to illuminate the path.

The jogging figure first came to his attention from his peripheral vision. It was quickly identified as a familiar figure and upon Jude taking a good look, he understood why he was able to place said figure so quickly. “Hi, Ev,’’ Jude said in his quiet voice. “Remember that sphinx from last term? Apparently she found this book that can help us get rid of these powers. We’re going to try to retrieve it from her.” And now his friend was all caught up about today’s excursion. He looked towards the back of the group and happened to see Escalante waving off butterflies and felt immediately guilty. Sorry, professor!

Jude had no problem sticking to the path. He couldn’t help but think that Kazmi’s jingling could most likely work against the group since it would attract the creatures’ attention. The thought made him suddenly nervous, reminding him that he hadn’t felt that way when they started out. Now that they were among the trees, the sixth year followed the Headmaster’s lead by illuminating the tip of his wand. “Lumos!’’ the boy muttered. Holding his wand aloof, he continued on.

Norman had followed the group from the courtyard, bringing up the rear as silently as possible. He didn’t know why. All that jingling courtesy of the headmaster was bound to draw attention to them, so there was really no point in trying to be quiet.

His bluish-green eyes darted from the path ahead to the little group gathered, then to the forest on either side of the path. All in all, he was pretty confident in this little venture. Compared to what he’d faced in his Auror days and in his first term teaching here under Lucien Rosier, this was nothing! And on the off chance something did go wrong, they had a pretty good professor to student ratio. Still, he wasn’t about to let his guard down, lest something come at them from the back or side and ambush them.

An idea occurred to him. If he and the other professors spread out along the path, they could cover the students from all angles. Kazmi had already taken the front, so that left the two sides and back. Following the headmaster’s example, he lit his wand and moved to the left side of the group, illuminating that side of the path. He looked to Escalante and Devries. “Care to cover the other side and back?” he asked, jerking his head toward the right side, then the rear.


Desiree didn’t need to be told to be on her best behavior. That was why she chose this group instead of the potion one! She followed along obediently and silently, not daring to speak in case her voice betrayed how scared she really was. A slight flush rose to her cheeks at the mention of concerning gifts. Knowing that statement was directed at her, she nodded. She would certainly tell a professor if she felt a teddy rat transformation coming on, but for now all she felt ws butterflies. Not Jude’s butterflies, the butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling that came with nervousness!

She had no problem staying on the path, but what if she transformed out here? Would her wombat form feel the same way? The thought of ruining the mission to find the book or worse, getting someone hurt trying to protect her had her even more scared than ever! “If I do transform out here, use whatever spells you need to keep me from wandering off,” she said in a small but determined voice. “And will someone please grab my wand if that happens?”

Although Desiree was scared, she refused to remain a beast for all time! Whatever happens to me, it’ll be worth it to get everyone back to normal, she told herself to calm her nerves. Having so many professors - and not the one who gave her false hope of handling this herself - here helped. Oh, and Jude and Evan too! She wasn’t sure what lie ahead, but she trusted the Sphinx and whatever else was in here more than she trusted Peeves!

Tapio's long stride had already started moving him ahead of Escalante without Tapio's noticing, so when he heard Norman call his suggestion back to them, Tapio nodded and quickened his pace to move up to the middle of the right side. Some of the students had used Lumos to conjure up light, which Tapio regretted. It not only interfered with his night vision, but was likely to attract attention. Still, he supposed it was better than having students stumbling and falling and maybe getting left behind in the dark. He inwardly cursed Peeves for leaving his book, if it indeed even existed, in such a dangerous place.

Milo had spent much of the day out on the grounds, at the edge of the lake, sifting through the shallows for possible ingredients. He'd been considering the deeper waters, and the possibility of gillyweed - which would allow him to not only breathe underwater, but to know how to swim - when he'd spotted this group disappearing into the forest.

Suspicious. Also, interesting. Also, there were things in there he might be able use.

And so Milo had followed, trousers still rolled up above the knee, his damp feet picking up leaves and dirt and pain and ghosts. Less ghosts, the further in he went, having slipped into the ranks of the group. In fact, there was a quiet inside the trees that Milo had not anticipated, and was not entirely familiar with. Not silence - never silence - but an ease he couldn't remember ever knowing before.

An ease which was, however, slightly offset by the fact that Milo soon registered that most present were those who had been doing weird things all term. Though he knew it was the poltergeist's doing, Milo still decided to keep his distance, just in case. He made sure to stick closer to Mr Carton, whom he was sure was still unaffected, as he walked.

What was it they were doing out here anyway? Didn't matter, just as long as Milo allowed the winds of change to guide him, he didn't need to know. He only wanted to.

_____

"Not to worry, Miss Marchand," Kamran said, looking back over his shoulder to the the group of students - which had somehow grown by one since the last time he'd looked. If...... anyway. "We'll make sure you, and your wand, are kept safe." Truth be told, it was those who would transform into animals that he was most concerned for in here, though he was also positive that they would indeed keep them safe.

And maybe if he'd not lost so much sleep from this incessant jingling, he might have thought to establish that particular limitation, just for added security. Hindsight was 20/20.

He trudged on through the trees, ears pricked for any suspicious noises... which was, of course, a complete waste of time. Soon enough, though, Kamran spotted the place up ahead, through the trees; a sort of dell, in which he knew the Sphinx had made its lair. Knew, because he had helped choose exactly the place last year.

"Hello?" he called softly, gesturing the others up to stand with him at the start of the hollow, just before the ground sloped upwards on both sides. "It's Headmaster Kazmi and some visitors from the school. Can you come out to meet us?"

As requested, the Sphinx who now resided here in the Forbidden Forest now came out to play. Within the forest dell, she had a smaller, cosier lair in which she slept and kept any treasures she found, and which could be found down a dark, burrow-like hole in one of the sheerer dirt slopes. It was roomy down there, comfortable and safe, but only the Sphinx was ever likely to see it.

The first sight these Hogwarts denizens saw of her today was one large paw, then the other, stretching out of the cave-like entrance to her den-within-a-den. Her sharp claws shone in the wandlight, and what little light reached the dell through the trees. A moment later, she had emerged entirely.

In the year since she had been revealed at the school, she had grown significantly, and was now in her late adolescent Sphinx years. Though still relatively friendly, still somewhat playful, she was starting to embrace her nature. She was proud to be a part of the school, and to help defend it if needed.

"Hello," she greeted her visitors, coming out to meet them and stopping several feet away, head tilted. "Are you just visiting, or is there something you need?" She looked amongst their ranks, but that awful, cackling little man was nowhere to be seen.

Tapio turned his head slightly as he heard soft rustling footsteps coming up behind them. But it was only Milo Evans, a student whom Tapio knew to be unaffected, so far, by Peeves' pranks. And he had pulled up near Carton, so that was all right. Tapio wondered idly what a student had been doing out here alone in the first place, but pushed that train of thought aside; they had more immediate problems on hand.

And then they were there, and the headmaster had called out and...there it was (or there she was--Tapio wondered which pronoun was correct for a sphinx). What a magnificent creature! Tapio had only caught a glimpse of it a year ago in the Great Hall, with so many people around, but he was sure the sphinx had grown considerably since then. How he wished Isla was here to see this--she would have loved it! He would have to write her later and describe every detail, as well as he could.

But for now, Tapio waited to see if Kamran wanted to answer the sphinx's question himself. And he really hoped no one would start manifesting any of Peeves' "gifts" at this critical juncture. Creatures, unlike plants, reacted quickly and unexpectedly.

Hearing Desiree pipe up about her potentially transforming into a wombat had his glancing at his best friend. He’d had so much experience with that sort of power thanks to Evan and it was second nature for him now to look out even more for the Ravenclaw. “I’ll try my best, Desiree,’’ he promised his Housemate. He’d hate it terribly if anything bad should happen to her. Or Evan. Like Kazmi, he was inwardly worried about them both.

It seemed that they had reached the Sphinx’s place. Jude halted with the group, peering about trying his best to get a glimpse of the creature. There she was! MERLIN! She had grown since they last saw her! She was still as majestic however, which had been the first adjective he had thought of back then and one that he thought of now. The sixth year decided that it was best to let Kazmi handle things given the sensitive nature of the entire situation.

Norman nodded his thanks as Devries took the other side, though he saw no need to verbalize it. The quieter the group stayed, the easier it would be to discern any suspicious noises. He kept pace with the rest of the group, dutifully monitoring their surroundings from the left side. Periodically, he glanced back at the group to check on the students and he noticed Evans sticking close to him. Hmm, the boy must’ve just joined them because there was no way he would’ve missed a student for that long!

Approaching the dell, he joined the headmaster at the start of the hollow. He lowered his wand, putting out the light so as not to disturb the Sphinx, though he wasn’t about to let his guard down just yet. The last thing they needed was for something else to come and ambush them! His eyes flicked toward the Sphinx as she approached, then to his colleagues as if to ask, Are you going to tell her or should I? Time was a factor here!


Desiree was just as worried as everyone else, if not more so, about the possibility of transforming out here. Headmaster Kazmi’s reassurance got a nod in reply, and Jude’s got a slight smile. She felt better knowing her friends and professors had her back, should things go wrong, but she was going to do everything in her power to keep that from happening. She didn’t want to be a liability!

Don’t turn into a wombat, don’t turn into a wombat, she thought to herself every step of the way. Her heart beat faster as the Sphinx’s lair drew near, but as scared as she was, she was more scared of Peeves’s “gifts”! Without a word, she obediently stood with Headmaster Kazmi. See? On her best behavior here! She saw claws, then paws, and then the Sphinx was here! Ooh, she was a lot bigger than she’d remembered but still so pretty! She remained quiet for now, deciding to let the adults fill the Sphinx in on what had happened.

Their journey seemed calm for the time being, not in any way lessening Kennedy’s senses to simmer down. You could call it experience or trauma, or both. The curly-haired man was on full alert. When Norman suggested he cover the back, Kennedy took a glance behind him. He had already been there, a step ahead, making sure there weren’t any students behind him. That had been his plan this entire time after they left the courtyard. When wands started lighting up, Kennedy didn’t go that far. Too many lights may attract unwanted attention, and the students seemed to be alright thus far.

When he heard Desiree’s concerns over her transformations he couldn’t help feeling bad for her. That must be awful. Unsure of when you were going to transform into a creature and lose control of your actual self. Well, he’ll make sure to keep an eye on her and see that she made it back to the castle safely.

When they reached their destination, Kennedy had to tell himself to keep his cool. Even YEARS after being part of the magical world, some creatures just stole his breath. He’s met older sphinxes, some under good circumstances and some under not-so-good circumstances, and each time he was filled with wonder.

When the Sphinx spoke, Kennedy took a step closer, still remaining at the back of the group. “Hello, I’m Professor Escalante, and we’re all here because we need your help.” Introductions first because they’ve never met and respect went a long way. “Peeves has “gifted” some of our students and staff with powers, and we are in need of a cure for them. He mentioned he left the book with said cure here with you?” Asking as a concerned professor and parent. Was the book really here? Was there even one?

As the sphinx made her appearance, Kamran took it upon himself to do another headcount of everyone present. Old habits die hard, and some habits shouldn't die at all. Satisfied that everyone who had started the expedition were still present - and then some - he turned his attention back to the sphinx just as Kennedy spoke up to explain.

... And then, because that was more or less covered, he went back to keeping an eye on the students once more, in case of transformations or such like. It was easy to be distracted by the, yes, majesty of the sphinx, easy to possibly miss a student shrinking down into creature form and fleeing, or a student turning invisible, or floating away into the troposphere, or simply wandering off.

Except for one interjection. "It really is imperative we get the book," Kamran said, glancing at the sphinx again. "If you would be so kind as to return it." Fingers crossed that she would just... defy her nature and let them have it, no questions asked. Literally.

But Kamran had a feeling that might not be the case.

_____

So this was a field trip.

Milo was another silent part of the group as the sphinx emerged, but as it approached, his eyes were on the trees and the forest dell all around, in case there was something else to be seen in the vicinity, something at its most beneficial when it was noticed. This he did at the risk of noticing something at its most beneficial when it wasn't, at which thought his blinking became more pronounced than it had been so far out here.

His silence, his listening ears, gleaned other answers. Not a field trip then, but a fetch quest, or a rescue mission, or both at once. A cure for the unsettling peeves epidemic.

Milo's gaze drifted back to the sphinx, and he watched its every gesture and twitch and expression, and the way its fur and hair and claws gleamed softly in the low light. The discussions they might have had.

All so quiet. The Sphinx looked between each of those faces, until one of the adults spoke up.

"Yes, he left it with me for safe-keeping," she said, flexing her paws and digging her claws into the dirt below. "But when he came to retrieve it, he could not answer my riddle. Then he tried to take it by force, but flew away before I could maim him." Though the Sphinx wasn't sure if she could maim him at all, whether he was more ghost than mortal or vice versa, it was still a disappointing performance. Made worse still by the fact that the poltergeist was a rather unpleasant little man. "I would be happy to return it, so long as you answer my riddle. Or you may walk away without answering, if you choose."

She sat back at her haunches, and recited the riddle - a different one to that which she had given to Peeves (and perhaps a much easier one too) - without further ado:


"My first is at the head of a crowd
When I'm happy I rumble, when I'm angry I growl
My second is in the belly of the beast
On birds, mice, and fish, I'm likely to feast
My third and last is the tail of a rat
With all this in mind, I must be..."

The Sphinx stopped speaking, and waited.

Escalante took the lead, actually. Jude couldn’t help but keep his eyes on the sphinx as the Flying professor explained the situation. Why was he not surprised that Peeves had been confronted with a riddle and why was he not surprised that the Poltergeist had been unsuccessful in answering it? Another unsurprising aspect? Peeves had tried to take the book.

The fourth thing not to be surprised about?

The group being asked a riddle as well.

Jude stared at the sphinx, his lips moving as he silently repeated the words. His mind was in overdrive trying to put it all together but at the moment he was completely baffled.

Tapio had an idea right away what it was, but didn't want to answer too soon, just in case that might aggravate the sphinx (he was not quite sure of sphinx behavior and wished he could ask Isla about it). So he carefully reviewed the other parts of the riddle--ah, yes, it was referring to alphabetic letters, wasn't it? So, the first letter, or the "head" of the word 'crowd' was 'c', the "belly" of the word 'beast' was the letter in the middle, 'a', and the "tail" or end of the word 'rat' was 't', and that spelled..."Cat!" Tapio said out loud. "That is, I believe that is the answer," he continued, stepping forward a little and making a deep bow to the young sphinx. Because, one could never be to careful with mythological beings.

Call him paranoid, but Norman doubted that retrieving the book would be as simple as just asking the Sphinx nicely. His suspicion was confirmed moments later when the Sphinx gave her riddle. Thankfully, it wasn’t a hard one to figure out! As soon as he heard the riddle, he immediately thought of a cat. Granted, he was not much of a cat person, but he’d encountered enough of them to know that part of the riddle described their behavior.

The other part must be referring to the letters of the word cat. “C” was at the head of the word crowd. “A” was in the belly of the word beast, and “T” was at the tail of the word rat. He couldn’t think of anything else it could possibly be! Apparently his colleague (Devries) had come to the same conclusion and beat him to voicing the answer. “I agree that a cat is the answer,” he said, glancing at the small group. “Does everyone else think so?”


As Desiree waited for the professors to explain the situation, the thought occurred to her that Peeves might not have hidden the book out here. Knowing him, there may not be a book at all! So help her Merlin, if Peeves sent everyone on a wild goose chase, she wouldn’t rest until she found a way to open that portal her dad told her about (the one with the scary monster inside) and send Peeves through it!

She stood sandwiched between the professors, silently listening. She thought they were finally getting somewhere when Professor Escalante spoke up, but then the Sphinx gave them a riddle to answer. What? She was terrible at riddles! She didn’t dare say anything, lest she get the answer wrong. She kept quiet, watching the Sphinx as she tried to decipher the riddle. As she did, her thoughts turned to her cat Mo. She didn’t know why they called his breed a sphynx cat. He didn’t look anything like the beautiful majestic creature before her! He looked like a wrinkly, naked kitty with huge ears, but that was okay, Mo was beautiful on the inside.

Come to think of it, parts of the riddle reminded her of Mo! He liked to feast on birds, mice, and fish. He made a sort of rumbly purr sound when he was happy, and he growled when he was mad… though his growl sounded more like a ch-ch-ch noise than a real growl. Was that the answer? A cat? She felt a lot more confident when Professor Devries gave the same answer, so much so that she ventured a nod in agreement.

The Sphinx, it seemed, did not need to wait for further agreement. Just as soon as an answer was given, and reiterated, she took that as their final answer, perhaps due to the finality with which it had been stated.

And so she smiled and stood, stretching her front legs across the ground, back arched and claws flexed. As she straightened again, she stretched each leg out behind her, first one and then the other, before circling around and padding towards her den. After a moment, she emerged once more with the poltergeist's book in her teeth, and returned to place it on the floor before the group.

"I am 'a cat'." Or so she had been called by the poltergeist, and now the Sphinx's little joke. "Good luck in your quest."

Well duuuh.

Obviously the answer was a cat. Jude’s first thought had been a kneazle but luckily he hadn’t blurted it out without first trying to think it over. They might have wasted their chance of getting the book if that had been the case. He couldn’t help but grin as the sphinx stretched then went to get the book. They’d done it! And yes, Jude found it amusing that the riddle’s answer was a cat since the sphinx resembled one. Not that he would say that to her face in case it offended her.

Being one nearer to the front of the group, Jude bent to collect the book. There was nothing worse that could happen to him since his powers, along with everyone else’s, had manifested at their strongest… right? “Thank you,’’ he said to the sphinx with a smile. She really was nice.

So… back to the Castle now?